1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device, a sheet processing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus that includes the sheet processing apparatus integrally or separately.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional technologies are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-95506 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-335217. According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-95506, a sheet processing apparatus in which a predetermined processing is performed with respect to sheets is disclosed. The above sheet processing apparatus includes a staple processing tray in which an alignment and staple processing is performed to a stack of sheets, a conveying path that is used to directly discharge the sheets to which the alignment and staple processing is performed in the staple processing tray, an upper and a lower conveying guide through which the sheets are conveyed on a side of a folding plate in which center folding is performed, and a branch guide plate and a movable guide plate by which a conveying path for sheets is changed between the conveying path for directly discharging sheets and the upper and the lower conveying guides. When the sheets are conveyed from the branch guide plate and the movable guide plate to the upper and lower conveying guides, the sheets are turned along an outer periphery of a discharging roller located at a most downstream of the staple processing tray to direct the sheets to the upper and lower conveying guides.
According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-335217, a sheet processing apparatus that is attached to, arranged side by side with, or integrally arranged in an image forming apparatus is disclosed. The sheet processing apparatus in which a predetermined processing is performed to sheets that are discharged from an image forming apparatus and on which images are formed includes a conveying unit in which the sheets conveyed from different conveying paths are selectively conveyed to different conveying paths.
When saddle stitching or center folding processing is performed, after sheets are aligned in a sheet-conveying direction and in a sheet-width direction in a corner stapler, a conveying unit that applies a conveying force to the sheets when the sheets are conveyed to a saddle stitching processor located at a downstream is located above the corner stapler. Therefore, it is necessary not to prevent a position and control of the conveying unit from interfering with sheet alignment in the corner stapler. Moreover, to reliably convey the sheets to a sheet processor and a stack unit at a downstream by a discharging unit that pushes the sheets from the corner stapler, it is preferable to approach an operation range of the discharging unit to the stack unit as close as possible. However, a guiding member to guide the sheets to the stack unit is arranged at a downstream of the discharging unit. Therefore, when the operation range of the discharging unit is approached to the stack unit, the discharging unit may interfere with the guiding member. Thus, to convey the sheets to the stack unit without causing jam, it is necessary to approach the operation range of the discharging unit to the stack unit in addition to a configuration in which the operation of the discharging unit does not interfere with the guiding member.